Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee’s Economic Recovery Group, in partnership with the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, released new Tennessee Pledge guidelines Monday with safety measures for media production, according to a Monday afternoon news release from the Office of the Governor. The new guidelines were created to address needs unique to the film, TV and music industry like filming on location, working with cast and crew, equipment, transportation and more.
The guidelines follow CDC and OSHA guidelines, as well as recommendations from the Motion Picture Association and The Recording Academy and include protocols for specific areas of production including special consideration for performers, who are among the most vulnerable on set and aren’t always able to wear protective equipment or observe physical distancing while on camera.
Tennessee’s entertainment industry is vital to the state’s economy, generating roughly $6 billion in annual economic output and employing thousands of Tennesseans. The state is globally recognized for its entertainment footprint which stretches the entire length of the state from Memphis to Mountain City. Tennessee’s motion picture industry ranks No. 6 among all states for total employment, and employment concentration per capita in the music industry is No. 1 in the nation.
Full guidelines for media production can be found on TNpledge.com.
Six counties – Shelby, Madison, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox and Sullivan – may continue to follow individual, county-specific reopening plans created in consultation with State and local health departments.
The Economic Recovery Group (ERG), composed of 30 leaders from the public and private sector, is crafting guidance to assist businesses in a safe reopening. The industry representatives participating in the ERG collectively represent over 140,000 Tennessee businesses that employ over 2.5M Tennesseans. More information about ERG is available here.